At about 5:15 on the afternoon of Sunday, August 2, the floating kayak launch at Four Mile Run Park broke free. The water had peaked twice that day, at roughly 3,000 cubic feet per second around 1 p.m. and again around 5 p.m., and the second surge arrived as the tide was nearing its daily low. According to the Four Mile Run Conservancy's account, the stabilizer arm and one tension cable failed. The dock then swung out into the current and pulled the gangway and part of the boardwalk with it.
Everything stayed attached and drifted about 800 feet downstream until it stuck against the near-shore pier of the Route 1 bridge.
The launch's address is 3700 Commonwealth Avenue. The Warwick Village Citizens Association uses Commonwealth Avenue as the neighborhood's eastern boundary, with Kennedy Street, Mount Vernon Avenue and Russell Road on the other three sides. The other new water amenity at the neighborhood's edges is the Colasanto Interactive Fountain at the Del Ray Gateway. It was planned for years, it opened in September, and it is about to close for the season. So for the rest of this fall, the most dependable way onto the water near Warwick Village is the old concrete ramp the new dock was meant to replace.
Eight months of service after five years of work
The launch didn't come quickly. The Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation finished designing the dock and boardwalk in 2021. Permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Commonwealth of Virginia came through in 2024. The City's project page lays out what came next:
- March 2025: groundbreaking and site preparation
- April 2025: helical piles and concrete abutments
- May to June 2025: boardwalk decking, railings, then the gangway and floating launch
- Fall 2025: opening pushed back by weather, supply chain issues and difficult soil conditions
- December 4, 2025: soft opening, with the launch open to the public
- May 9, 2026: grand opening with City Council and the project team
- August 2, 2026: storm damage takes the launch out of service
That works out to about eight months of public use counting from the soft opening, and less than three months after the ribbon-cutting. It was a real loss. The City's grand-opening announcement called it the first launch of its kind in the D.C. metro area. It had a raised boardwalk ramp with ADA-compliant slopes, a floating dock, a wheelchair transfer platform and a roller system for getting in and out of the boat. The site is on the tidal part of Four Mile Run, where the water is calm and shallow enough for beginners. It also connects to the Potomac River Water Trail.
Where the repair stands in October
Recovery happened fast. The Conservancy says every piece was retrieved except one timber: the launch, gangway, railings, stabilizer arm and tension cables. It credits Landivar and Associates for what it called a "quick, daring, and thorough recovery." The Conservancy is working with City staff and engineers from RK&K to repair the launch and reinforce it.
There is no reopening date yet. The City's page, last updated September 28, says:
"The City is conducting a damage assessment this fall to understand the circumstances that contributed to the damage and to identify a reasonable long-term solution that will reduce the likelihood of a similar occurrence in the future."
The same paragraph explains what still works this fall: "the existing concrete ramp to the water remains available for use until the kayak launch is reopened."
The old ramp is carrying the season
The Conservancy hasn't paused its programs. Its August 13 update said the summer and fall kayak litter cleanups would go ahead on schedule and launch from the old unimproved ramp until the new dock is back. One more is coming up. A Mega Trash Bash kayak cleanup is listed for Saturday, October 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., starting at the Kayak Barn in Four Mile Run Park. The Conservancy's cleanup listing says kayaks, paddles and life jackets are provided, and you can also bring your own. That date comes from an event aggregator, so check it with the Four Mile Run Conservancy before you plan your Saturday around it.
If you take your own boat out from the ramp, there's a second restriction to know about. Upstream, the stream at Mount Vernon Avenue and Arlington Ridge Drive is closed for bridge construction through August 2027, and boating under that bridge isn't allowed. The City asks paddlers to turn around and head downstream. That leaves the downstream run past the Route 1 bridge toward the Potomac, the same stretch the dock drifted down in August.
The launch's posted rules haven't changed. It's open sunrise to sunset unless a permit says otherwise, and it's for non-motorized boats only.
The other edge, where the water turns off in mid-October
The Del Ray Gateway is at Mount Vernon and Commonwealth Avenues, where two of Warwick Village's boundary streets meet. The pool at the Nicholas A. Colasanto Center and Park opened in 1969 and closed in 2010. A 2012 city aquatics study concluded a spray park would suit the site best, plans began in 2021, and construction started last year.
The Colasanto Interactive Fountain opened September 10 at 2700 Mount Vernon Avenue, after the final utility connections were finished in late August. The City said it would run until mid-October. After a 16-year gap without water play at the site, the first season lasts about five weeks, and today is October 10. The fountain includes public art by Béatrice Coron, installed in July, and it sits in the same Gateway project as the Nancy Dunning Memorial Garden.
The City's other interactive fountain gives a sense of a typical season. The interactive fountain at Potomac Yard Park, 2501 Potomac Avenue, usually runs from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October. If Colasanto keeps a similar schedule, summer 2027 will be the first time families near Warwick Village get a full season of it.
What is open at the edges this October
| Spot | Address | Opened | Status as of October 10, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Mile Run kayak launch | 3700 Commonwealth Ave. | Soft opening Dec. 4, 2025; grand opening May 9, 2026 | Closed until further notice; no reopening date |
| Old concrete ramp | Four Mile Run Park | Predates the launch | Open; used for Conservancy cleanups |
| Colasanto Interactive Fountain | 2700 Mount Vernon Ave. | Sept. 10, 2026 | Open until mid-October |
| Potomac Yard Park fountain | 2501 Potomac Ave. | Existing | Typically runs through mid-October |
| Four Mile Run Farmers' & Artisans Market | 4109 Mount Vernon Ave. | Seasonal | Closed for the season |
| Del Ray Farmers' Market | E. Oxford and Mount Vernon Aves. | Year-round | Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon |
The Four Mile Run market normally sets up on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. outside the Casa Chirilagua Community Center. With it closed for the season, the Del Ray Farmers' Market on Saturdays is the year-round option nearby.
A late-October Saturday built around what still works
Four Mile Run Park has plenty to do on land while the dock is out. The City lists trails, ballfields, a playground, an unfenced dog area, multipurpose courts, a plaza and a freshwater tidal marsh. The park's 1.1-mile trail links to the Potomac Yard Trail, the Mount Vernon Trail and Arlington's Four Mile Run Trail.
Here's one way to spend a day this month on the neighborhood's eastern edge:
- Morning: Join the October 17 kayak cleanup, which launches from the old ramp.
- Midday: Walk the park trail toward the Mount Vernon Trail, or take the dog to the unfenced area.
- Afternoon: If the Colasanto fountain is still running, stop at the Gateway on the walk home. By the end of the month it will be shut off for the season.
The following weekend brings a different crowd to the south edge. The 30th annual Del Ray Halloween Parade steps off Sunday, October 25, at 2 p.m. along Mount Vernon Avenue, and this year it adds a group and float contest.
Nobody knows yet when the launch will reopen. The City's repair updates on the kayak launch project page are where the first reopening date will show up.
At The LizLuke Team, we keep track of what opens, closes and gets repaired around Warwick Village, because these are the things neighbors ask us about over coffee as well as at the closing table. If you own a townhouse between Kennedy Street and Mount Vernon Avenue and want to see how this year's changes on Commonwealth Avenue and at the Gateway fit into your home's value, ask us for a free home valuation and we'll go through it with you.
